


me and the ash can't settle down

by crashing_meteors



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Cowboy Bebop (Anime)
Genre: Death, F/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:02:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27048400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crashing_meteors/pseuds/crashing_meteors
Summary: Lu Ten survives the siege of Ba Sing Se by a stroke of pure luck, and is taken in by a friendly Earth Kingdom man who gives him a choice: return to the Fire Nation, or stay and start a new life. Disillusioned with his forefathers' war and eager for an out, Lu Ten finds himself bounty hunting alongside a colorful cast of characters whose individual moralities are varying shades of gray.-Based loosely around the idea of a Cowboy Bebop-esque team in the Avatar world.
Relationships: June/Lu Ten
Comments: 16
Kudos: 28





	1. 3, 2, 1, let's jam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i think it’s time we blow this scene...get everybody and the stuff together...okay-

Lu Ten wakes up to the smell of jasmine tea. 

His head is pounding, and his stomach feels like someone is stepping on it, but he's lying on a soft bed while sunlight streaks through a nearby window. He takes a deep breath, in an attempt to inhale the sweet scent, and immediately begins to cough. His ribs, it would seem, are broken.

But he's safe. By some miracle, he's safe.

"You know," an unfamiliar voice says, "you're very lucky you didn't get killed out there."

Lu Ten sits up gingerly, wincing as he does so. He's in a small house, being served a cup of tea by a large man. For a moment he thinks it's his father. He blinks and the illusion is gone - this man is entirely bald with a full beard, and covered with tattoos of women and symbols and forces of natures. So, not his father. A free-wheeling doctor, maybe?

"I know," Lu Ten agrees, cautiously accepting the warm drink. It's all very familiar, like being taken care of when he was a kid with a cold. But there's something wrong, something rattling around his head trying to come loose.

"You're not the first soldier I've had to bring back from the brink of death," the man says, very casual, eyes closed. "But you are the first from the Fire Nation."

Okay. That's not good.

Panic threatens to take over, but Lu Ten stamps it down with his years of practice. This isn't the first time he's been in enemy territory and had to lie his way out. He's had the good fortune of inheriting his father's people skills, and it's saved his life before. His eyes dart around the room, looking for escape routes and weapons he can use. 

"A momentous occaion," Lu Ten says, just as casual as the stranger, sitting up a little straighter and setting the tea back down. The man keeps his eyes closed. "To whom do I owe my life?"

The man smirks, and when Lu Ten scrambles to stand, he presses down on Lu Ten's lower leg, hard. Lu Ten has to bite his lip to keep from screaming. He looks down to find that his right leg has been wrapped, and there are ugly bruises spreading up into his thigh. Great.

"Name's Kōji," the man says, eyes still closed, hand still digging into Lu Ten's leg. Lu Ten stuffs his fist in his mouth, hoping Kōji won't look at him anytime soon. "I'm not gonna hurt you, so don't try to escape, alright?"

"Somehow I don't believe you," Lu Ten says around his fist. Kōji finally opens his eyes and lets out a bark of laughter at the sight, blessedly removing his hand at last. Lu Ten sighs, leaning back against the wall. He doubts he could even use the leg if he wanted to.

"Let's go over your options," Kōji says, turning in his stool to face Lu Ten head on. "You could attack me, incapacitate me with that sword...or that bow, or maybe the butter knife, if you're feeling adventurous." Kōji points with each word at the weapons strewn around his house haphazardly. 

"But I'd yell Fire Nation," Kōji says, "and the town would come running. I'm a likable guy."

Lu Ten gulps.

"You could always firebend your way out, if you are one, but trust me, the town really won't like that. They fought off a platoon of benders a year ago and won, but we lost some good people. You wouldn't last the day."

Lu Ten is really panicking now. Kōji's got to have an angle, or worst of all, he knows who Lu Ten is. His chances of escape are dwindling by the second.

"You could always go the peaceful route, try to run away on that leg, but it would just be embarassing. Or, you could stay here, heal up a little, and we can work out a deal," Kōji says, smirking all the while. Lu Ten doesn't know how long the guy's been thinking this speech over, but he does know it's effective.

"What kind of deal would that be?" Lu Ten asks, keeping his voice steady.

"Don't know," Kōji replies, the hint of a laugh in his voice, "but I'll be sure to tell you when I figure that out."

-

-

-

Lu Ten is laid up in bed for almost three weeks.

It's incredibly demeaning, being cared for by Kōji. He's not rude, or even particularly angry that Lu Ten is Fire Nation. He makes decent food, prepares tea every day, lends Lu Ten the clothes off his back even though they're much too big. He's a perfectly gracious host, and under different circumstances, Lu Ten would feel grateful to have wound up here.

The demeaning part is how confident Kōji seems to be that Lu Ten won't escape. The older man leaves him alone for hours at a time, out tending his garden or chatting with neighbors who live quite a ways away from Kōji's remote home. At first it hardly bothers him, Lu Ten spends most of his first week sleeping anyway. But as consciousness steadily comes back, Lu Ten is insulted by the complete lack of concern on Kōji's part.

"You read much?" Kōji asks when Lu Ten finally stays awake for more than three hours.

"Sure," Lu Ten says, sitting up and finding it hurts less than before. "My father and I, we read together all the time."

"Here," Kōji says, handing Lu Ten a thick book that looks hand-bound. Lu Ten takes it gratefully, eager for something to do that isn't staring at Kōji's walls or waiting for a meal. Lu Ten flips through the thick pages, only to find instructions.

"...This is a homemaker's manual," Lu Ten says in disbelief. Kōji frowns at him.

"I don't exactly have a library here," he says, throwing up his hands irritably. "You want something to read or no?"

Lu Ten shrugs.

"It'll be helpful, teach you how to make yourself useful, once you're healed," is Kōji's dismissive reply. "I don't let people stay in my house for free, you know. You've gotta earn your way."

"Why take me in at all?

Kōji only smiles, and goes back to his precious garden.

Lu Ten refuses the book in protest at first. It lasts all of a day before he caves and decides to explore the world of do-it-yourself repairs and housekeeping. His father would probably say this is a learning experience, that it's important to be humbled in life. Lu Ten tells himself that's why he hasn't tried to leave.

When the third week comes and goes, and Lu Ten can finally walk without immediately collapsing, Kōji offers him some makeshift crutches and invites him out to the garden. He makes no demands, doesn't ask that Lu Ten begin "earning his way", just chats amicably and tells Lu Ten about the different plants he's so carefully cultivated.

"The great thing about berry bushes," Kōji explains one bright afternoon, "is that you can pick the berries and can them and make your own jam. They overcharge for jam in the market. I mean, sure, it takes a long time, and canning's quite a process, and you use a lot of berries...well, I suppose it's a decent price. But you won't catch me buying what I can make just fine on my own."

"Very respectable," Lu Ten comments, tilting his head to the sun. He hadn't realized how much he missed the outdoors. "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did," Kōji points out, but he grins good-naturedly. "Shoot."

"You said you want me to work," Lu Ten says. "Put me to work. I'm healed."

Kōji throws his head back and laughs heartily.

"You can't stand without your crutch, you grab your stomach every time you cough. Like hell you're healed," he says, still laughing. "Take it easy. Read your book. You'll work when you're ready."

"Kōji, please," Lu Ten says in an embarassingly pleading voice, "I'm dying over here. I can do something, water your garden-"

"You aren't allowed anywhere near my garden," Kōji says gruffly. "You'll just screw it up. Say, how come you get to know my name but I don't know yours?"

"Bǎi," Lu Ten says quickly, too quickly. He relaxes a little and says, "You can call me Bǎi."

"O-kay," Kōji says, drawing out the first syllable and clearly not believing a word out of Lu Ten's mouth. "Bǎi, enjoy the rest. It won't last long."

Before heading out into the village he calls, "And don't you ignore that book! Plenty of good information in there."

Kōji insists that Lu Ten walk around some, get his strength back. Apparently he'll need crutches for another week or two at least, but it's "no excuse to let his legs turn into limp noodles." When he's not exercising, or whatever you call this poor excuse for exercise, Lu Ten reads the stupid handbook cover to cover, and then he does it again. Kōji offers to let Lu Ten accompany him to market, but he declines, paranoid he might be recognized. It's not likely, considering they're in a small town north of Ba Sing Se and Lu Ten's travels brought him in from the west, but he's still cautious. Kōji doesn't comment, just shrugs and goes about his day as usual.

Slowly Lu Ten learns more about his host, and absolutely nothing at all. Kōji's younger than his father, but older than his uncle. He's a social guy but he never brings friends back home, although that might just be out of respect for his guest. He's traveled all over the Earth Kingdom and then some, but when Lu Ten asks what it is he does, Kōji waves him off and comes up with a vague excuse. It bugs Lu Ten that he doesn't know, even though he knows it's hypocritical to be annoyed at all considering his checkered past. Kōji's been more hospitable than his family would be, if the situation was reversed.

It probably helps that Kōji doesn't know he's the prince of the Fire Nation. He'll hold onto that card for as long as he possibly can.

The garden is what saves him from dying of boredom, in the end. Kōji has been gone for hours, and Lu Ten is bouncing with energy. His stomach still hurts when he twists the wrong way, but any hint of a headache has disappeared and his leg feels stronger, he no longer needs the crutch. It would be easy to leave, he could run northward, find himself a boat and sail west, go home.

He could also jump off a cliff. It'd be less painful.

Kōji finds him crouched at the edge of the garden, staring out at the mountains beyond, a holey blanket knotted into a crappy rucksack. The stars are just beginning to appear in the evening sky, though some areas are still a violet hue.

"You're not a prisoner here," Kōji says, sitting in his chair. "You can leave whenever you'd like."

"Aren't you afraid I'll go back to the Fire Nation?" Lu Ten asks him.

"Way I see it, you either go back and have some empathy for the people you're fighting," Kōji says evenly, "or you desert, and the Fire Nation loses a valuable soldier. Win-win."

"Who says I'm valuable?" Lu Ten grunts.

"You showed up here carrying a fallen soldier on your back begging me to save him," Kōji says, point-blank. "I'm sorry to say it was too late by the time you'd arrived."

The memories Lu Ten had been avoiding come back in a tidal wave - the never-ending siege, the months spent trudging along like turtle-ducks in a snowstorm, the boys he was barely older than who had been placed under his command. Lu Ten remembered his friend, who went off to the navy, who asked that Lu Ten look after his younger brother, since they were in the same unit and all.

"He enlisted too young," Lu Ten says quietly, dipping his head and tucking it into his crossed arms. "He was only 17 when he died."

Kōji doesn't say anything, just sits in his chair and lets the gentle breeze blow over them. Lu Ten shuts his eyes tightly, so that colors dance behind the lids. He wants to block out the memories of ceaseless death and violence, wants to forget that he's all his father has left. It's a useless effort.

"I don't want to go back," Lu Ten admits at last, and it's not as freeing as he thought it would be, but the words feel right. "I don't want to be part of it anymore. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"What do I look like, a spirit guide?" Kōji says gruffly. "I already told you, you're welcome to stay if you work. But I'm not gonna tell you what to do. You're a grown man."

Kōji stands and moves to reenter the house, but stops at the door. He coughs awkwardly, and Lu Ten looks over at him.

"I, uh. I'm sorry. About your friend," Kōji tells him, and despite the hesitancy Lu Ten can tell he's being genuine. He inclines his head in thanks towards his host, and Kōji, apparently satisfied, goes inside.

Lu Ten stays there until his legs go numb, watching the sky go from bluish-purple, to a deep navy, to finally inky black. Kōji's garden smells deceptively similar to the one in the palace, where Aunt Ursa spent most of her time. It's too peaceful, here among the flowers and the cool of springtime. The war rages just to the south, and no matter how hard he listens Lu Ten can't hear the sounds of battle. All he hears is the chirping of crickets and the tinkle of Kōji's assortment of windchimes.

When he goes back inside, rucksack and all, Kōji is getting ready for bed.

"You staying?" asks his host. Lu Ten unties his makeshift pack, puts away the things he had been more than willing to steal not three hours ago.

"And leave without demonstrating my new housekeeping skills?" Lu Ten says easily. "No thanks."

Kōji laughs heartily, a loud rumbling thing that bubbles up from his belly. Lu Ten tries and fails to pretend it doesn't remind him of his father.

-

-

-

"I want you to fix these shutters," Kōji says the moment Lu Ten wakes up.

"The shutters?" Lu Ten repeats blearily, rubbing his eyes to clear the sleep away. Kōji uncermoniously shoves a cup of tea into Lu Ten's hands. Lu Ten takes a sip and sighs contentedly. "This ginseng tea?"

"Aren't you the tea conisseur?" Kōji says sarcastically, tossing Lu Ten some clothes.

"My father's favorite," Lu Ten says by way of explanation, pulling on the shirt he's been given and finding it fits. "These new clothes?"

"What is this, 20 questions?" snaps Kōji, adamantly refusing to look at Lu Ten. "If you're gonna be staying you can't exactly keep wearing my clothes, can you? Now hurry up and get dressed, I want those shutters fixed yesterday."

Fixing shutters ends up being more difficult than Lu Ten expected. He has the homemaker's book memorized so well that he doesn't even need to refer back to the chapter on "Maintaing Your Home Furnishings: Tips and Tricks to Keep This Old House Looking Like New", but he leaves it open anyway, hoping that if he keeps looking at the pages, he'll eventually have a breakthrough. He can't even ask Kōji for advice, humiliating as that would be, because the older man left the house in a huff early that morning, mumbling something about local gossip.

The problem, Lu Ten is sure, is the old wood of the house, not his complete lack of skill. No matter how hard he tries to hang the slats evenly, so that they no longer rest in a crooked lean against the window, they somehow go right back to the way they were. Lu Ten works at it for the better part of an hour when Kōji comes back in an uncharacteristically bad mood.

"Let me see," the man mutters, stomping over to Lu Ten's place by the kitchen window.

"Actually, I'm, ah, just fixing this-"

"Are you kidding me?" Kōji gestures wildly to the window, which looks exactly the same as it did an hour ago. "I just asked you to hang them propely!"

"I'm working on it!" Lu Ten snaps.

"You put a hole in my wall!"

While that's true, Lu Ten doesn't feel it's very fair to point out.

"Look, I'm trying to do what the book says," Lu Ten grumbles irritably. "It's not my fault that-"

"The book?" Kōji repeats in disbelief. "You're...you're actually reading the..."

Kōji looks down at the open pages, looks back at Lu Ten, and down at the book again. He opens his mouth, and then closes it with a snap. Then, to Lu Ten's utter confusion, Kōji begins to laugh hysterically.

"The - the homemaker's guide?" Kōji chokes out between laughter, and, frankly, Lu Ten doesn't see what's so funny. "That's just the only book I've got laying around...it was a joke!"

Okay, rude, but Kōji's bright red face and wheezing laughter starts to affect Lu Ten against his will, and he begins to chuckle as well, until he's cracking up right alongside Kōji. He doubles over and has to lean a hand on Kōji's shoulder, while Kōji leans against the counter. It's a few minutes until Kōji wipes the tears away from his eyes and lets out an exaggerated sigh.

"Okay. Okay," he says, as though he's trying to think something through. "What were you, a rich boy or something?"

"Or something," Lu Ten says grinning, wiping his own eyes. 

"Well, I'm not having much luck in town..." Kōji says thoughtfully. "Alright, I'll show you how to not be completely useless."

"You're telling me you could've done this yourself?" Lu Ten accuses him good-naturedly.

"What, and miss the look on your face while you try to figure out what a nail is?" Kōji teases.  
-  
-  
-  
Kōji ends up teaching Lu Ten things he'd never even thought about before. The irony of being served on hand and foot and then being forced to live out in the wilderness among people of every class and rank never failed to amuse Lu Ten, but this is somehow entirely different. In the war Lu Ten was still prince of the Fire Nation, the man who would one day be Firelord, and he had to prove to his comrades that he wasn't soft or lazy. His solution was to train harder, learn survival skills like tracking and hunting until he was an expert, and make damn certain he helped out wherever he could. With Kōji, however, he's...well, he's Bǎi, and as far as Kōji's concerned, Bǎi is a nobody and utterly helpless.

He drives Lu Ten harder than the drill seargents did. Lu Ten's shocked that basic repair-work and chores feels just as exhausting as army boot camp, but then it's not like he's ever had to do anything like this before.

Well, except for when Piandao made him rearrange his stone garden. Somehow menial labor was more fun at 15 when there was a reward of swordfighting at the end of it.

And yet, despite his aching feet and tired bones, Lu Ten can't help but like Kōji, can't help but be proud of the work they do. The shutters come first, and then they sand down the chairs out in Kōji's garden, and then they organize the kitchenware, and so on and so forth.

"This feels like busy work," Lu Ten says as Kōji pours them both a hard drink while they take a break.

"Maybe for you, rich boy," is Kōji's smug reply, "but this is my life, my home. I spent so long keeping you alive I let it fall apart."

Somehow, Lu Ten thinks he wasn't unconsious long enough to be responsible for the multitude of tasks required of them.

"I seem to recall you going out into the market to gossip often enough," Lu Ten points out. Kōji makes a non-committal grunt, and Lu Ten doesn't bother to hide his grin.

Kōji is rough and demanding, but he's patient when Lu Ten makes a mistake, and sits with him until the task is complete. He refuses to out-and-out do anything for Lu Ten, but he's more than happy to provide demonstrations and offer tips. Eventually, Lu Ten figures out how to do things alone, but Kōji still sticks by him, the helpful hints being replaced by personal anecdotes of his journeys across the Earth Kingdom.

"The point is, only idiots enters the Cave of Two Lovers," Kōji is saying while Lu Ten pulls weeds in the back garden, the first task he's ever been assigned anywhere near Kōji's plants. "Of course, the folks I was traveling with were a special kind of stupid-"

"What kind of job takes you all over the Earth Kingdom and lets you chat with your neighbors all day?" Lu Ten asks curiously, wiping the sweat off of his brow. Summer is coming, the heat beginning to creep into the air around them. Kōji doesn't answer him at first, and Lu Ten worries for a moment he's said something wrong, but when he looks over at Kōji, the older man is smiling.

"How long have you been here, Bǎi?" Kōji asks, voice oh-so casual. "One month, two?"

"More than two months," Lu Ten says, rolling his eyes, certain Kōji knows exactly how long it's been.

"More than two months. Hmm." Kōji strokes his thick beard conspiratorially. "I guess that's long enough to introduce you to the business."

"What business is that?" Lu Ten asks, sitting back and abandoning the weeds entirely.

"Tell me, Bǎi. What do you know about bounty hunting?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The name Japanese name Kōji, with the characters 康司, means "peaceful boss or officer", indicating his parents hoped he'd grow up to take on a leadership position of some kind. It's also very close to the name Kōjin, which is the name of the Japanese god of fire, the hearth, and the kitchen. With Kōji being Lu Ten's guardian and caretaker, and Lu Ten coming from the Fire Nation, I thought this was an appropriate reference.
> 
> The name Chinese name Bǎi, with the character 百, is a name that means "one hundred, many", a reference to Lu Ten being one of hundreds of soldiers. Kōji figures this out pretty quickly, but lets it go.
> 
> The following chapters will likely be references to Cowboy Bebop episodes. Hopefully you guys enjoy my take on Lu Ten! June will join the group soon enough.
> 
> Title from The Growlers' "Going Gets Tough." Chapter title and summary from SEATBELTS’ “Tank!”, which happens to be Cowboy Bebop’s main theme.


	2. Mùchéng Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> leave all your love and your longing behind you, can't carry them with you if you want to survive.

"Tell me, Bǎi. What do you know about bounty hunting?"

The short answer is, not much.

Kōji is pleased with Lu Ten’s physical ability - Lu Ten has no intention of revealing his firebending, of course. Kōji may be unusually accepting, but theoretically housing an enemy is much easier when you don’t have the physical proof of their past in front of you.

So Lu Ten sticks to hand-to-hand combat and sword fighting. Of course, trying to beat Kōji in a fistfight is like trying to knock down a rock wall with your bare hands. Lu Ten tries to use his agility to his advantage, but it becomes clear very quickly that Kōji fights dirty. He bests Lu Ten at every turn, and what’s worse, it’s obvious the older man is holding back.

“These people we’re dealing with,” says Kōji in his rough voice, “they’re not gonna show you mercy so don’t you show them any, got it?”

Lu Ten listens to his new teacher and tries to forget the rigid rules he’d spent his whole life abiding by. It’s surprisingly easy to let go of the concept of fairness, and when Kōji stumbles for just a moment, Lu Ten punches him square in the face.

“Shit,” Lu Ten says panicking as blood pours out of Kōji’s nose. “Shit, shit, shit.”

Kōji tries to stem the flow with one hand, which is growing redder by the second, and waves at Lu Ten nonchalantly with the other.

“You did what I asked,” says Kōji, the blood-flow making him sound congested. “Think you might’ve broke my nose though...”

Lu Ten procures a rag and hands it to Kōji, but the floor is already a blood-splattered mess. He can’t help but think that if he had been firebending and slipped up like that, Kōji would be dead.

Kōji pulls up a chair and sits with his newly crooked nose, courtesy of Lu Ten’s fist, and tells Lu Ten to show him what weapons he’s familiar with, to Lu Ten’s extreme relief. None of Kōji’s small arsenal of weapons is state of the art, every single one accompanied by scratches and dents, but there’s at least one katana in the mix. He inspects the blade carefully - it’s nowhere near the quality of the one he made with Piandao, but that was left at home in the palace. A thought arises unbidden: will his father include the katana in his memorial? Lu Ten closes his eyes tightly, so that it hurts, and then holds the blade steady.

He practices his forms blindly, never once opening his eyes as he dances around the room with the battered old katana. Suddenly he’s eight, practicing with some weapons he stole off the palace guards, his father laughing merrily as he lunges with the clumsiness of a child. Now he’s 14, and Piandao is patiently correcting his forms, demanding more but never implying Lu Ten is not enough. Now he’s 16 and his cousins are begging him to firebend at them, but they’re far too little, so he says conspiratorially, “what about a sword fight?” Now he’s 18 and killing one of his fellowmen-

“At least you can use that thing,” Kōji chuckles, and Lu Ten is grateful for the interruption from his thoughts. “You’re a piss-poor street fighter.”

“And you’re a fucking mountain,” Lu Ten retorts, setting the blade down gently. “How the hell am I supposed to get the jump on you?”

“There’s no weight classes in bounty hunting,” says Kōji, wagging his finger like a school teacher, upper lip still stained a bright red. Lu Ten finds a new rag and pours some water over it this time, tossing it to Kōji.

“I thought we’re not supposed to kill these guys?” Lu Ten asks curiously. Kōji had tried to explain his profession, but it had mostly resulted in a series of tangents and old stories about the job. Any important details Lu Ten had gleaned came exclusively from context clues.

“We’re not,” is Kōji’s reply, giving Lu Ten a look that seems to imply he’s said the stupidest thing Kōji’s ever heard. “But you need to be able to defend yourself. You know how to disarm, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Lu Ten replies tersely, looking for a sheath that might fit the sword. Piandao had taught him to disarm, obviously, but he had also said that the katana was a weapon of death. At the time, Lu Ten had hardly listened, too appreciative of the thin, curved design of the blade to really care for its purpose. Now it seemed Lu Ten had always been destined for violence.

“Good,” Kōji says gruffly, but his eyes are alight with excitement, “because I have a tip for us to follow, and we don’t have time for you to sit around all day figuring it out.”

The rules of the hunt are both straightforward and murky, if Lu Ten has understood anything from Kōji’s reminiscences. You track the target, capture them alive, and hand them over to the paying party, but you can work out a deal if things got messy. You don’t encroach on someone else’s territory, unless the bounty’s extraordinarily high. You always follow through and refuse to be bought, unless the offer is good. You never kill a target, unless it’s the only option.  
When he asks Kōji how to make the call on these flip-flopping rules Kōji brushes him off.

“Comes with practice,” he says, unconcerned. “Eventually you’ll learn to trust your gut.”

The man they’re after is, according to Kōji, your average lowlife. He started off small-time, scamming elderly couples and widows with too many children and not enough food.

“Now he’s gone to flat-out stealing, but he hit up the wrong guy,” Kōji tells him through a mouthful of rice that evening. “Rich kid like you. Influential family. The spoiled brat tried to fight, and he barely survived.”

Kōji suddenly and meaningfully points his chopsticks at Lu Ten.

“Don’t let the same thing happen to you, ‘cause I’m not hauling your sorry ass all the way back here again.”

“Again?” Lu Ten asks suspiciously. “I thought you said I showed up practically on your doorstep?”

Kōji grumbles something practically unintelligible about a couple of bodies in the valley below and practically shoves his face in his dinner. Kōji may put on a callous front, but Lu Ten doesn’t believe it for a second.

“Point is,” Kōji says after finishing his meal, “the rich kid comes from a rich family. Minor nobles, or something. We bring them this guy, they reward us with gold.”

“How much?” Lu Ten asks, not necessarily out of greed as much as curiosity. How much is a son’s life worth around here? How much is his attacker’s?

“That’s usually negotiable upon delivery,” is the only answer Kōji seems willing to give. “We leave at dawn, so get some rest.”

“What, that quick?” Lu Ten asks in surprise, rising from his seat. “We’re just going to leave without a plan? Do we even know where he is?”

In response, Kōji tosses a rolled-up sheet of parchment at him. Lu Ten unfurls it to reveal a wanted poster, and a note scrawled at the bottom that reads “Lower Mùchéng - Frogman”.

“Who the hell is Frogman?” Lu Ten asks.

“My informant, for this job anyway,” Kōji explains as he gets ready for bed. “You find something to keep that sword in? It’s not exactly a stroll in the park to Mùchéng, so we gotta leave early.”

Since that is apparently all the information he’s getting, Lu Ten sighs and mimics Kōji, climbing into the warm bed.

“You always have this laid out for unexpected guests?” Lu Ten asks after a while. On the rare occasion he’d had to intrude on someone’s home, they’d usually just roll out a mat or futon. Kōji, while comfortable, didn’t seem to live the most luxurious life, to provide such a thing for strange guests.

“Go to sleep,” Kōji grunts, turning over in his own bed. Just as well. Every man deserves his share of secrets.

-

-

-

He wakes up before the sun rises. Kōji is still snoring (and hell if Kōji isn’t a loud snorer), so Lu Ten splashes his face with water and dresses. It feels like a strangely serious moment, dusk making everything outside seem muted and foreign. Lu Ten was always an early riser, preferring the warmth of the sun to the cool of the night, but then, most firebenders are like him. As he slips the sheath he found, just a touch too big, beneath his belt, he feels for a moment the same as he did the morning he shipped out for the Earth Kingdom. He was still just shy of 18, then, and his father’s most recent letter had been clutched in his hand, creased from the way his fingers pressed into it.

“My dear son,” the general had written, “I challenge you to find a father who has ever been prouder than I am of you. Let me meet this man, and show him my son, and see if he still feels so certain.”

Kōji snorts loudly, and when Lu Ten looks over the older man is rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Someone’s eager to get going,” he grumbles, and Lu Ten wonders if Kōji’s ever happy. He tells the older man he'll be waiting, and when he steps outside the sun is just beginning to rise. Lu Ten hasn’t ventured beyond the garden since he arrived, and his heart sounds loudly against his ribcage as inhales the smell of the world around them. Something childish inside him whispers “adventure”, tickling his ears and pulling at his lips to form a smile. It’s terrifying. It’s invigorating.

Kōji joins him a few minutes later, a large weapon in hand.

"Is that a mace?" Lu Ten asks in disbelief.

“Mùchéng is that way,” is Kōji's reply, pointing towards the northern mountains, and he sounds more alive now than Lu Ten’s ever heard him. “The city is built practically on stilts. Lots of good hiding places, but I have an idea of where to look. Don’t be too obvious about it now.”

“I’ll be fine,” Lu Ten says easily, the contagious energy zipping through him like electricity. “You’re the one who sticks out like a sore thumb, colossus.”

Kōji laughs, loud and long and hearty, and Lu Ten has to fight the urge to suggest they race to a nearby yew tree, his giddy excitement is that strong.

“Okay, shrimpy,” Kōji rumbles, knocking his boots against each other to rid them of mud. “If you’re so slick, think you can beat me to that tree there?”

Lu Ten grins.

“You’re on, old man,” he retorts, but when Lu Ten steps out to run Kōji sticks his foot out, tripping him so that he falls face-first in the dirt. Kōji laughs uproariously the entire (slow, in Lu Ten’s opinion) run to the yew tree, yelling something about payback for a broken nose. Lu Ten can’t even be upset, as he hauls himself to his feet and jogs to catch up with Kōji. It feels good to have fun again.

-

-

-

They reach the mountain town by mid-afternoon, or Kōji says they do, anyway. All Lu Ten can see is a rocky path and a drop-off point. Kōji smirks at his confusion, raps a quick rhythm on the mountain, and then there is a loud creak followed by a descending platform. Kōji and Lu Ten step on and are slowly lifted into the air by a series of pulleys and ropes. When they reach the top, they are surrounded by a city made entirely of wood. Wooden planks and paths lead the way inward, wooden beams support the platforms and building, wooden stores and homes sit up and down on the mountainside.

“It’s all wood,” Lu Ten says, trying not to let his nerves show. He suddenly feels like a gemsbok bull in a pottery shop. This whole place is a fire hazard.

“Weren’t you listening?” asks Kōji, leading the way into town. “Mùchéng is a refugee city, or it used to be anyway. People came here and built this town to hide from the Fire Nation. When their villages were raided, most of their benders were taken, so this is what they had to work with.”

“You never said any of that, Kōji,” Lu Ten says irritably, unable to stop himself from tiptoeing. “Besides, of all the materials to build your secret city out of -“

“I know, I know, one big cookout,” Kōji agrees. “But it’s well-hidden.”

“So were the airbenders,” mutters Lu Ten, but Kōji either doesn’t hear the comment or just ignores it.

Lu Ten finds himself sticking close to Kōji as they make their way along the planks, like a small child afraid to stray from their parent's side the first time away from home. In any city there are varieties of people, but Mùchéng has a distinctly disjointed feel to it. In this corner, there are children playing under the watchful eye of their parents. Under a nearby archway, a young woman cries as she writes a letter to a loved one far away. The very next ramp drops down to reveal a group of shady characters discussing something fervently. Every single person seems like they don't belong here, but it's clear from the suspicious glances that Kōji and Lu Ten belong here the least.

To match the sinking feeling in Lu Ten's chest, Kōji leads them down the ramp near the probable-criminals. The narrow path is so tight they have to mumble excuse me's as they pass, and the politeness only seems to lower their credibility. They travel deeper, edging along what can only be a crevasse located within the mountain. Lu Ten practically falls into the black abyss but Kōji's arm shoots out to keep him firmly on the ground. The older man points down to a rope ladder, which seems to be the only way in or out of the hole.

"Popular hideout down there," says Kōji, gazing downwards. Lu Ten's never had a fear of heights, but something about the situation makes his stomach turn.

"We'd be pretty screwed if we ran into trouble down there," Lu Ten says, swallowing a knot that's been building in his throat. What is wrong with him?

"Yep," is all Kōji has to say. "You ready?"

Lu Ten lays a hand, lightly, over his katana, and nods sharply. It's clear now that any ideas about this being a straightforward job have gone out the window - and Kōji trusts him anyway. He's not about to back out now. In a moment of courage, Lu Ten descends the ladder first. When a strong breeze causes the old rope to swing this way and that, however, he regrets his decision.

Whatever Kōji's reward negotiation skills are, they better make this trip worth it.

-

-

-

It turns out to be an average bar, once you ignore the fact that it's buried so deep within a mountain wolfbats hang sleeping from its rafters. Kōji sits at the bar with practiced confidence, and Lu Ten wonders if it's just from frequenting places like this, or if Kōji's been to this bar in particular a few times. When Lu Ten sits beside him, however, Kōji rolls his head, twisting his neck left and right a few times, and the tension in his muscles seems to indicate he's not comfortable here.

"We're looking for a skinny guy, probably pretty arrogant. He's got a two-headed rat viper tattoo on his right shoulder," Kōji murmurs. "He may be a small fry, but he's lethal. I'm practically a stranger here, and he's not, so he's got the home-field advantage, too."

"Knowing this stuff upfront might have helped," Lu Ten hisses before taking a swig of whatever Kōji had ordered for them. His stomach is still nauseous, and his throat feels dry for some reason. The burning liquid doesn’t seem to help.

"You're shaking like a leaf as it is, didn't need any more stress," Kōji whispers back.

"I'm not-" Lu Ten begins to reply indignantly, but he's interrupted by a fight breaking out in a back corner. A pair of young men, a little older than Lu Ten, are arguing loudly about money. Everyone in the bar pays attention, and fast, the familiar sounds of drawn weapons ringing out around them. One man gives the other a shove, and that's all the patrons need to start an all-out brawl.

"Shit," says Lu Ten, ducking to avoid an errant swing from his neighbor at the bar. The bartender hit the floor the moment his customers started swinging, and now he, Lu Ten, and Kōji are the only ones not actively fighting. "What do we do now?"

"We stay right here and find our guy," Kōji says gruffly, before promptly smashing a bottle over the head of a man who had tried to engage him in a scuffle. "The fight started right after we showed up. Someone must have recognized me and needed to create a diversion. Come on."

Kōji pushes away from his seat and heads towards the back of the bar, navigating his way through the flying fists and falling bodies. Lu Ten has to cough a couple of times as he follows, his throat feeling tighter than before, probably because of all the dust the crowd is kicking up.

"Won't he leave through the front?" Lu Ten whisper-shouts in the chaos.

"I've been here once before, years ago," Kōji replies. "There's an exit out back. I'm willing to bet we can cut him off from there."

Lu Ten coughs again and follows, relieved to be getting away from the mess of the bar. They get to a wooden door where someone is beating the crap out of someone else, and Kōji effortlessly pushes him out of the way. He yanks open the door to reveal a dim hallway leading to a back room.

"In there," says Kōji as Lu Ten slams the door behind them. "You ready to fight?"

"Sure," Lu Ten says, more confidently than he feels. He lets out a breath that comes out like a wheeze, and he fights the oncoming cough so severely it feels like he's choking on it.

Kōji enters the room.

"Duck!" roars the older man, tackling Lu Ten to the ground as a large arrow whizzes past them into the dark hallway. At the end of the room, one man has a crossbow, and there have to be at least six or seven men besides that. They move at once, attempting to surround Kōji and Lu Ten, so Lu Ten rolls out from under the older man, withdrawing his katana as he does and leaping to a stand. He immediately goes to defend Kōji, but when Lu Ten glances over, Kōji’s already bludgeoned someone and is swinging his mace around furiously.

Lu Ten takes the shooter, leaping forward to slice in half the arrow that had been knocked and jabbing their attacker with his sword. The man yells out in pain, but when Lu Ten gets a good look it's not their target, so he withdraws the katana kicks high, hitting the man in the head and knocking him out.

They're down five versus two, now, and it would feel like fair odds if Lu Ten didn't think he was having an asthma attack. The thrill of the fight is familiar enough that his body responds practically on instinct, but he coughs and coughs the whole time, sounding as though he'll hack up a lung. The coughs wrack him so violently that when he takes down another opponent, two more manage to subdue him, grabbing him by his hair and pressing a blade to his throat.

I survived the war, Lu Ten thinks almost hysterically, and I'm going to die at the hands of thieves.

"Bǎi!" Kōji practically screeches, and the hand at his throat is knocked away by a mound of earth. Lu Ten processes in slow motion this turn of events - he looks out the window, which has shattered, and back to his assailants, who are fighting Kōji from across the room. Kōji is yelling and snarling and practically foaming at the mouth.

He is also earthbending, Lu Ten realizes too slowly, as more rocks go sailing past his head and into the attackers.

He's earthbending. There's earthbending here. Kōji, his friend, is an earthbender.

Lu Ten knows he's still kneeling on the ground, and that four very violent men are attacking Kōji, but it's just so hard to breathe, and earthbending is so loud, why is it always so loud?

There's a shout, somewhere, and another rock rushes past Lu Ten, but this time it nicks his ear. Lu Ten inhales, sharp and violent, and the noisy earth falls away to the crackle of flames and smoke. Someone is shrieking. Lu Ten inhales again, and everything around him is a reddish-orange color. It's good and bad all at once, but even though his lungs are working again, his chest still hurts so bad.

"Bǎi!" someone yells, and Lu Ten wonders who they're talking to. There are lots of Bǎis, in both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. He hopes it's not a fallen soldier - the man sounds worried. Lu Ten would hate for him to be disappointed.

"Bǎi!" comes the voice again, and Lu Ten's vision clears just long enough to see a round, worried face.

"Dad?" he asks, and the red-orange fades ever-so-slowly to black.

-

-

-

When Lu Ten comes to, he's surrounded by the bodies of his friends. Last he remembered the earthbenders had crossed no man's land in a desperate move, doubtlessly hoping to keep the firebenders from making way on yet another of their walls. Lu Ten had felt for the Earth Kingdom soldiers, of course, but he never thought for a minute they'd succeed. His father was the general, after all, and his father was very good at war.

But it would seem they had been successful, in the end, and the corpses that surrounded him proved it. They're piled on man-made mountains, crushed between enormous boulders, disfigured beyond all possible recognition. Lu Ten moves to stand, a dull ache in his core, and is shocked to find that his legs still work. A voice in his head insists they don't, but then how could he possibly be standing?

He limps around the massacre numbly, unsure what is up and what is down in the aftermath of what seems to have been an explosion, or maybe a very powerful earthquake. He checks every body he passes, even the ones without faces, but every single one is dead. Lu Ten realizes with a start he is the only surviving member of his regiment. That he, the captain, did not go down with his ship. What a miracle. What a shame.

The idea that strikes him is vile and cowardly, but he's removing his decorations and insignia before he can stop himself. The body at his feet is mangled and torn asunder, as though it has been held down and stretched. Its face is nothing but exposed bone and meat, and when Lu Ten switches out his identifiers for the dead body's, it almost feels like he really did die today.

Lu Ten climbs one of the hills created by the earthbenders and looks to the sky. He can see mountains beyond, the Northern Mountains, he's sure. Maybe he can get there. Steal some Earth Kingdom clothes. Pretend his life is not his own.  
Suddenly there is a low groan from the ground below, and Lu Ten practically tumbles off the hill in search of it. A man, no, a boy is lying at the base of the rocky hill, his leg trapped beneath it. He's pale, paler than Lu Ten has ever seen him -

"Zhen," Lu Ten whispers, cradling the boy's head. He's known Zhen since childhood, the younger brother of one of Lu Ten's closest schoolmates. Lu Ten had insisted he was too young to go to war, but Zhen had fought bitterly for the great honor of serving his nation.

"Lu Ten?" Zhen says, and when he coughs blood stains his lips. In a moment of weakness, Lu Ten wonders if it would have been easier if Zhen had just died with the rest. Lu Ten removes his coat one-armed, taking care to still hold Zhen's head.

"What are you doing, Captain?" the boy asks, barely keeping his eyes open.

"This is going to hurt," Lu Ten says bracingly, shoving the coat in Zhen's mouth and instructing him to bite down. Finally allowing Zhen's head to drop softly to the ground, he moves over to the spot where the boy's leg is stuck. Lu Ten unsheaths the katana he won in a gambling match from his belt and takes a breath, then slices clean through at the juncture between rock and flesh. Zhen barely has time to react before Lu Ten is creating flame against the skin to cauterize the wound, and even with the makeshift gag, Zhen’s screams of pain echo throughout the battlefield. They are going to have to move the minute the skin has closed.

After what feels like forever, Zhen's leg finally stops bleeding. Zhen has stopped screaming as well, and when Lu Ten stands he sees that the boy has passed out. He bends down, hauling Zhen up by the middle and tossing him over his shoulder. Lu Ten almost keels over with the weight, so he stops a moment, shedding his armor and sword and pack, hoping that they'll find a generous healer on their journey north. Lu Ten doesn't want to try their luck with the Earth Kingdom army. They've already shown their cards.

He heads towards the mountains in a daze, Zhen a dead weight on his back as he navigates the smoke and the rubble. Just getting out of the battlefield feels impossible, but the futility of his task does not slow him down.

Lu Ten needs to help Zhen. He needs to leave the war behind. He needs to be anywhere else right now.

Exhausted, delirious, and unaware of his own broken leg, Lu Ten marches on.

-

-

-

Lu Ten sits straight up in bed when he wakes, gasping for air. It takes him a few minutes to remember where he is, especially since he wakes up in the cool summer evening, and the room is illuminated by a bizarre twilight he can't remember noticing before. He lets his breathing slow as he realizes he's safe in Kōji's house, a bowl of water and a neatly-folded washcloth sitting on the table beside him. His lungs, blessedly, accept the air he brings in, without burning or hacking away.

The job, he assumes, did not go well.

Kōji is nowhere to be seen. Lu Ten wonders for a moment if maybe the older man gave up, packed his things and left, before realizing how stupid he's being. This is Kōji's house. Lu Ten splashes his face with the water and rises to a stand, wincing in pain as he does so. His head feels like someone hit it with a club.

Or a mace.

Pushing forward, Lu Ten walks out back to the garden, where Kōji is watering his plants. He barely even looks up, just makes a small nod of acknowledgment and continues his work. Lu Ten had intended to have this conversation standing, to retain some dignity, but his pounding head protests, and he all but collapses into the nearby chair.

Lu Ten rubs hard at the back of his head, knowing more pain is counterintuitive but digging in with the base of his palm anyway. After a few moments, Kōji joins him in the adjacent chair, his bones cracking as he leans back.

"You could've mentioned you were a firebender," the older man says at last. The wind chimes tinkle gently around them, and the scent of fresh berries carry over to where they sit. There is no anger, or even surprise in Kōji's voice. Just a gentle reprimand, like a father would give to their adventurous child.

"You could've mentioned it was a wooden city," Lu Ten says. Kōji smiles, a small, soft thing. He does not laugh like he usually might, and for some reason Lu Ten feels 15 again, sneaking his secret girlfriend into the palace at night, like his father is saying Lu Ten could've just told him.

"You were right," Kōji says, which definitely throws Lu Ten for a loop. "I should've mentioned some things upfront. I didn't want to spook you away from the job, and I didn't want to spook you away by earthbending, either."

Lu Ten doesn't say anything. Just the sound of the word makes him want to get up and run, which is pathetic of him, considering he probably burnt a building down and Kōji is talking like he took a few silver pieces without permission.

"Guess we gotta start being straight with each other, here on out," Kōji continues. "Either that, or maybe we shouldn't be working together."

Lu Ten's stomach somersaults at the very suggestion. He knows, logically, that this is only his first attempt at a new life, that things don't always work on the first try, and if this life with Kōji isn't what he's meant for, well, he'll find something else. The thing is, though, Lu Ten's always gotten stuff on the first try. It's kind of his thing. And Kōji...Kōji is everything and nothing like his father, just the right middle-ground that makes him feel safe at home and far from the Fire Nation all at once.

"There are some things I can't tell you," Lu Ten says plainly, trying not to let his nerves show. Kōji just sighs.

"Yeah, I don't know what I expected," he says, still smiling. "Is there anything you can tell me?"

Lu Ten hesitates, trying to parse through the pieces of his life and figure out what bits are need-to-know.

"Earthbenders killed my men. My friend," Lu Ten says slowly. "I grew up with him. I've known him since he was nine. They crushed his leg and left him there to die."

Kōji hums appreciatively.

"I was taking the low road to the west for a job, and that's when I spotted you and your friend to the south," Kōji says. "You weren't too far from here, but no, you didn't get all the way to my house on that leg. Also, I have a kid, but they're not around much. About your age."

The last admission is hardly a surprise. Kōji may be loathe to admit it, but he’s a natural caretaker, and there’s a terrible loneliness about him Lu Ten had never understood until now. Lu Ten and Kōji look at one another in a sort of mutual understanding. Neither man has said all that probably needs to be said, but still, the air is lighter and things feel easier between them. Cleaner, somehow.

“How’d I hurt my head?” asks Lu Ten after a while.

“Passed out,” Kōji chuckles. “Hit the floor hard.”

"What happened to the target?" Lu Ten asks, an afterthought he hadn't considered until just now.

"Dead. Fortunately, they still paid up. Showed them the tattoo as proof."

"And the others?" Lu Ten says cautiously.

"Burnt to a crisp," Kōji says simply. Then, upon seeing Lu Ten's nervous reaction, he adds, "Don't worry. I made sure they were dead before we left. As far as anyone in Mùchéng's concerned, some fool kicked over a candle."

Lu Ten nods in silent thanks, even as he feels a pang of guilt for the unecessary death. He trusts Kōji, likes him a lot, but he's not really sure why the older man keeps covering for him. Maybe it's for the same reason Lu Ten's so eager to stick around - they're both missing something they lost, and looking for something new.

"We'll have to get used to each other's, you know. Skills," Kōji says awkwardly. Lu Ten agrees, despite the fear in his chest. "I say we start small. Candles and clay and things like that."

Lu Ten nods again, snapping his fingers and producing a tiny flicker of light. Kōji follows suit, reaching down to pick up a rock and crushing it between his fingers. Lu Ten watches, making sure to keep his flame controlled, as Kōji shapes and reshapes the earth. It's not so bad, here, in this context, when Kōji's earthbending resembles pottery more than anything else.

"What do you say?" Kōji asks, finally bending the rock to sand and letting it float away on the summer wind. Lu Ten similarly closes his hand, putting out his fire. "You wanna give hunting another go?"

"Why not?" Lu Ten says grinning. Kōji smiles back at him, and Lu Ten feels with absolute certainty that their next expedition will go better. "Can I just ask one more thing?"

"Shoot, kid," Kōji says as he rises from his seat.

"Show me where you buried my friend?"

Kōji stops in place, eyes widening in surprise. Then he nods solemnly, leading Lu Ten out of the garden and down a winding valley path, which intersects with the road they traveled to Mùchéng. He points Lu Ten to a small hill, a lump of freshly-turned earth marked by a large stone. At first, the sight makes Lu Ten's throat well up all over again, until he moves closer and finds that Kōji has shaped the stone into a crude rendering of the Fire Nation symbol. His chest loosens again as he reaches out to smooth his fingers over the stone. It's not so bad, really, to be buried beneath the earth, but it's not what Zhen would have wanted.

"Is it...is it possible we could dig him out?" Lu Ten asks in as steady a voice as he can muster. Kōji says nothing, just raises his eyebrows in confusion.

"I want to give him his funeral rites," Lu Ten clarifies.

Kōji moves forward and moves into a careful stance, his face furrowed in concentration. Slowly, gently, the mound rumbles and falls away to reveal an almost fully deteriorated body wrapped in a blanket. Lu Ten takes a deep breath, mumbles a few words of farewell and thanks, and bends a wall of fire befitting of such a soldier.

He moves to stand beside Kōji as Zhen's ashes scatter around them. Kōji stands with his hands clasped, head bowed solemnly. Lu Ten is in a similar stance, but refuses to look away from the pyre he has created, focusing all of his thoughts on his friend, a tribute that has come much too late. When it is done, only Zhen's bones remain. Kōji buries the bones, just as before, and Lu Ten resets the grave marker.

"Thank you," he tells Kōji. It doesn't feel like nearly enough, but it's all he can say, for now. Kōji just grunts in reply. As they walk back to the house, Lu Ten's stomach settles for the first time in days. He knows it's only temporary, but he thinks he feels at ease.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, let's get into it:
> 
> I personally imagine that these mountains are just south of the Northern Air Temple. Since Sozin planted so many traps for airbenders in different Earth Kingdom cities, I imagine Mùchéng (with the characters 木城, meaning wooden city) began originally as a safe haven for airbenders, starting with a few camps, and it slowly grew into a strange city. There aren’t many earthbenders here, if any, but there are quite a few airbenders; obviously, they have to hide their abilities. The idea of having a wooden city seemed fun to me based on Aang and Azula's (and Zuko's) showdown in the abandoned Earth Kingdom town. Aang really took advantage of the architecture, so I imagine on moonless nights airbender children in Mùchéng run and jump along the beams and boards. It’s also partially inspired by wooden stilt-like structures found in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I’d love to write a fic about the air nomads living here one day, but for now, they have no place or purpose in this fic beyond gratuitous self-indulgence.
> 
> The name Zhen, with the character 真, is a Chinese name meaning real, genuine. Being a dutiful Fire Nation soldier, and, being based loosely on the Cowboy Bebop character Shin, whose name is a Japanese alternative to this, it felt like the right choice. I imagine Zhen and his older brother were from the colonies and believed the war was a chance to prove themselves.
> 
> In the next chapter, we'll finally meet a pair of familiar faces. Also, Kōji calls Lu Ten shrimpy, but that's simply not true. Lu Ten is perfectly tall and muscular, Kōji's just huge. (Yes, I'm ignoring canon info on Lu Ten's height, what of it?)
> 
> Chapter title is a reference to the Cowboy Bebop episode, "Asteroid Blues". Chapter summary comes from Florence and the Machine's "Dog Days Are Over."


End file.
